Game apparatus.



No. 709,144. l Patented sept. 5,1902.

c. E. EDGERLY. v

. GAME APPARATUS.

(Applicaziug med Aug. 2s, 1'901.)

. (No Model.)

Rs no., moro-uma.. wAsNlNnYoN. D. c.

UNITEDr STATES PATENT @Finca CLARENCE E. EDGERLY, OF BIDDEFORD, MAINE.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 709,144, dated September16, 1902.

Application filed August 28, 1901. Serial No. 73,609. (No model) lfication.

This invention relates to game apparatus,

`which may be termed parlor polo, and the purpose of the same is toprovide a simple form of amusement or pastime designed to accurately-train the eyes of the players .in relation to dist-ances andangles of movement by the aid of a playing-piece and impelling devicestherefor on a playing-field of part-icular arrangement having oppositegoals.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of theseveral parts, which will be more fully hereinafter described andclaimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a game apparatusembodying the fea-` tures of the invention. Fig. 2 is an enlargedlongitudinal vertical section of the same broken away. Fig. 3 is atransverse vertical section of a portion of the apparatus on an enlargedscale.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

The numeral l designates a box or closure havinga bottom 2, whichconstitutes the playing-held and surrounded by upstanding sides 3 andends 4 of a suitable height. The dimensions of these parts may beregulated at will, and the materials employed in constructing the samewill be those best adapted for the purpose. Surrounding the innerportions of the sides and ends and bearing upon the latter and thebottom 2 are cushion-strips 5, which are formed with undercutoutwardlyinclined recesses 6, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, to receive arubber cushion 7, suitably secured in said recesses and continuingregularly and unbrokenly around the field exceptatpoints which will behereinafter set forth. At the center of each end 4: close to the bottom2 goal-openings 8 are formed through the strips 5 and the said ends, andover the exterior portions of the said openings flexible pockets 9, ofsuitable material, are applied. The upper plane of the bottom 2 iscoincident with the lower portions of the openings 8, and secured to thesaid bottom 2 across the entrances to said openings are guard-rails 10,which perferably have inner curved faces intersecting outer verticaledges to prevent the playing--piece passing into the openings fromreturning to the playing-field. At a suitable distance above theplaying-field and extending over the inner portions of the goal-openingsare curved wire guards 11, against which the player shielding his goalholds the impelling device employed for moving the playing-piece toprevent an opposing player, if possible, from driving the playing-pieceinto the goal so protected and also to prevent a player from entirelyexcluding entrance to his goal or placing the impelling instrument closeto the inlet of the opening of the goal. The playing-field is dividedVinto three'parts l2, 13, and 14, the parts 12 and 13 being theexclusive territory of the players adjacent thereto and the part 14.neutral territory intermediate of the parts 12 and 13,where eitherplayer may endeavor to impel or shoot the playing-piece and which Willbe regulated by quickness of movement and general dexterity of theplayers. The field is so divided by a cord, wire, or other device 15 ofa similar nature, which is secured at one end in one of the sides 3, asshown by Fig. 1, and then carried across to the opposite side 3 in astraight line and threaded through openings 16 in said lastmentionedside andagain brought back to the first-mentioned side and threadedthrough an opening 17, and from said opening the terminal of the cord orthe like is caused to engage a winding-key 18 below the plane of theopening 17,1the said key being operated to keep the cord or the like intaut condition. The cord 15 or the like is located at a suitableelevation above the upper plane of the bottom 2, and when arranged asset forth it provides a rectangular inclosure forming the part 14. Asshown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the impelling devices each compriseashaft or shank 19, with a lower curved extremity 2O for engaging animpelling spherical playing-piece 2l, preferably in the form of a steelball.

The game is played by two persons, situated at the ends 4. and eachprovided with one of the impelling devices. The object of IOO the gameis for the opposing players to drive the ball 21 into the goals, and bya suitable arrangemnt said goals when successfully made will count acertain number of points. To start the game, the ball 21 is placed inthe central part 14 of the playing-field and each player then proceedsto get control of the ball. Neither player is permitted to put hisimpelling device over the cord 15 or the like, but each player can reachas far as his impelling device will permit him to do from his side underthe portion of the cord nearest to him, and when one of the playerssucceeds in obtaining control of the ball he immediately places it inthe best possible position for a drive to- Ward the goal of hisopponent, and the said opponent places hisimpelling device against theguard-Wire 11 to shield as much as possible his goal and endeavor toprevent entrance of the ball thereinto. The players are not permitted toarrange the extremities of the impelling devices within the wire guardsso as to give an opponent a chance to make the guarded goal by anaccuracy in movement of the ball with this end in view. When theimpelling devices are held straight against the guard-Wires, they willprevent the ball being driven into the goals in straight lines, but by asuitable angular movement the ball may be caused to strike the cushion7on either side in such manner as to carom into the goal desired to bemade. It is also obvious that the side shot is the best to be made inView of the fact that if the goal is missed the ball will return, in allprobability, back to the territory or part of the board or eld fromwhich it was impelled, and thereby permitting the players to havesuccessive shots. If the ball stops within the territory of eitherplayer or in either of the parts 12 or 13, the player having control ofthe part 13 is not permitted to touch the ball when it is in the part12, and vice versa. When the ball is driven toward the goal by one ofthe players, the player so guarding his goal is at liberty to move hisimpelling-piece around the guardwire 11 toward off the ball, and bypractice players will become very adept in shielding their goals in alegitimate manner, and thus render it very difficult for the opposingplayer to effect an entrance to a guarded goal. It is proposed to haveten points constitute a game, and if the ball is knocked out of the boxit is called a fouL and two fouls will take off one point in the game.When the ball is driven into either one of the openings 8 and passesinto the adjacent pocket 9, it can be readily put into play again by theplayer nearest the pocket lifting the latter and causing the ball topass in reverse direction onto the playing-field through the adjacentopen` ing 8. The impelling devices should be held between the first twolingers and thumb, with the upper end of the same in the palm of thehand. Many complex shots can be devised by the use of the cushion, andthe rebound ofthe latter may be utilized for form ulatingcombination-shots, and with practice the eye of the player will becomeaccurately trained as to the certainty of various angle contacts toarrive at the result sought.

In constructing or joining the several parts of the apparatus thosemethods will be used by which strength may be derived as well aseconomyin the use of material, and while the preferred form of theapparatus has been shown and described it will be understood thatchanges in the form, size, proportions, and minor details may beresorted to without departing from the principle oi' the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. Agame apparatus comprising an inclosure having a pocket for the receptionof a playing-piece, and a curved wire guard arranged in front of and ata distance from the mouth of the pocket and in a plane above that of theplaying-piece.

2. A game apparatus comprising an inclosure having a bottomplaying-field surrounded by a yielding cushion and provided with a goalor pocket at each end for the reception of a playing-piece, and a guarddisposed in front of and at a distance from the mouth of each goal, saidguards being arrranged in a plane above that of the playing-piece.

3. A game apparatus comprising an inclosure having goals or pockets forthe reception of a playing-piece, and inwardly-projecting curved guards,arranged at 'a distance from the mouth of each goal thereby to preventthe closing of the mouth of the goal by the impelling device.

4. A game apparatus comprising in combination, an inclosure having agoal or pocket for the reception of a playing-piece, acurved guarddisposed in front ot' the mouth of the pocket in a plane above that ofthe playingpiece, and an impelling device adapted to engage in front ofsaid guard, said impelling device being of a width less than that of thegoal or pocket. l

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE E. EDGERLY.

Witnesses:

A. H. CHELLIs, J. E. E'roHELLs.

IOS

